Vestibule-car



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

J. KREHBIEL.

' VESTIBULE GAR.

No. 482,744. Patented Sept. 20, 1892.

Aff/S.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

J. KREHBIEL.

VBSTIBULE GAR. No. 482,744. Patented Sept. 20, 18292.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEETCE JOHN KREHBIEL, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

VESTIBULE-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 482,744, datedSeptember 20, 1892.

l Application filed April l5, 1891. Renewed April 18, 1892. Serial No.429,580. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concorre.

Beit known that I, JOHN KREHBIEL, a citi- Zen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Vestibules, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in vestibules forrailway-cars; and it consists in the peculiar construction of thevestibule-section at the ends of the cars, which when two cars arecoupled together forms a compartment which may be used for manypurposes, such as a smoking-room, dsc., utilizing the entire width ofthe platform.

The invention further consists in the peculiar construction of thesliding connection between the vestibule and car, avoiding the necessityof a bellows connection or other iiexible joint and allowing of a Iiatside wall across the entire compartment.

The invention further consists in the peculiar construction of the steps and in the means for raising and lowering the same, and, further, inthe peculiar construction, arrange ment, and combination of the variousparts, all as more fully hereinafter described and shown.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a central horizontal section through themeeting ends of two coupled cars to which my vestibule is applied. Fig.2-is a vertical longitudinal section thereof on line y y. Fig. 3 is avertical section on line Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line .az, Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a section through the sliding connection betweenthe vestibule and the car drawn upon a larger scale. Fig. 6 is anelevation of the vestibule part of such section, looking from the leftend in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a detail of the locking mechanism.

My vestibule consists of a rigid section or compartment A, formed of theplatform ot, the vertical sides b and roof c, and the buiferplates cl.This section or compartment is pivotally supported to the cross-bar bymeans of the bolt e at its rear end and the springsupport f at its frontend, this construction being substantially as described in my patent,No. t17,567, of December 17, 1889. This structure or section is ofsufcient width to extend from side to side of the canframe and from apoint level with the platformv of the car to a point above the section gof the roof thereof.

In order to make a tight joint between my vestibule-section and thecar-body without the sacrifice of room within the section Without theuse of a flexible joint-such as a bellows connection- I form at eachside of the car, extending, preferably, from top to bottom thereof,wells 7L, in which the vertical guide-plates 'L' of thevestibule-section engage and which guide-plates may move in and outfreely with litt-le or no friction. These plates are hinged to thecross-heads lc, which are slidingly secured in slotted guide Z, which issecured to the rear edge of the vestibule-frame. The cross-head 7e ispivoted at its lower end by means of the pivot m to the guide Z, and theaperture through which said pivot engages is elongated to allow ofvertical movement of the vestibule without affecting the cross-head 7e.These cross-heads are provided at each end with pintles mwhich engage inlongitudinal guides o, formed, respectively, in the roof and platform ofthe car. Thus it will be seen thatthe guide-plate will always maintainits fixed relation to the car and can slide backward and forward intheir guide-grooves at the top and bottom and that it is turned in andout by the movement of the vestibule` section, and the vestibulesectionis formed to oscillate and to assume an angular position to saidguide-plates without in any way dam-` aging the parts. I also obviatethe necessity of using the objectionable bellows construe tion.

Now to make a tight connection between the roof-section of the car andthe roof-section of thevestibule and at the same time to support theroof in all its movements angular and oscillatory, I construct the partsas follows:

p is a horizontal extension of the roof, which is supported upon thesaddle q. This saddle l is provided at its end with the guide-flangesr', extending down the side of the car, and preferably at its rear endwith the liange r', slightly raised above the fiat portion and also incontact with the vertical portion s, formed in the roof of the car. Thisplate is supported centrally upon the spring s', to which it is se ICOcured in any suitable manner. The roof of Vthe car being curved and thesaddle q being straight and supported only at its middle, it is evidentthat it is free to have a rocking motion, in which it will be guided bythe anges r. It is also evident that the extension p of the roof will befree to slide over the saddle to take up any oscillatory movement of thevestibule in relation to the car. Each vestibule is provided upon oneside with the forwardly-extending hooks t and upon the other side withthe apertures t', with which the hooks of the adjoining vestibulo engagewhen the cars are coupled, being held i'n engagement therewith by aspring or in any other suitable manner.

B are doors hinged in the side wall b of the vestibule.

C C are rearward-extending arms secured to the platform of thevestibule-section backed by springs D, the function of which parts is,in case the vestibule should be at the end of the train or in connectionwith a car without a vestibule, to hold the vestibule-section in iiXedrelation to the car.

As my vestibule-section extends to the side of the car, it is evidentthat the usual recess formed for the steps must be dispensed with, and Itherefore provide a step secured to the vestibule and having thefollowing construction:

E and F are side bars to which the steps Gr are pivoted. These side barsextend to the side of the vestibule upon each side of the door andengage in suitable slots, being provided with heads I-I to prevent theirdisengagement therefrom.

I is a railing, one on each side of the steps, extending from the bottomof the bar F to a point about midway of the door, engaging in slots inthe vestibule. It is evident that when these bars I are in the positionshown in Fig. 4 the steps may be lowered and will afford easy means ofeXit from or ingress to the car.

When the car starts, the trainmen taking hold of the handle I upon therailing I and lifting upward on the steps, drawing the heads H of thebars I, E, and F upward, the steps will be lifted up and will fold inagainst the side of the car, where they may be held by means of suitablehooks, such as J, or in any other suitable manner. When in this positionthey not only prevent any damage from stationary objects on the track,but also act as a guard to the door, so in case the door is opened whenthe steps are raised people can not find eXit until the steps arelowered, and neither can people on the outside catch onto the movingtrain. I am thus enabled to prevent many accidents which now occur frompeople walking off the platform and from people catching hold of theplatform while the train is in motion. A vestibule thus constructedutilizes all of the room between the meeting ends of the cars, giving aspace eight feet square, which hitherto has been practically useless sofar as seating capacity was concerned, and in pleasant weathersuch aroom as this will form a most attractive part of the train, or it may bearranged for smoking-rooms or any other convenient use.

I preferably provide the following means for automatically uncouplingthe vestibules upon the uncoupling of the cars. K are chains connectingthe couplers of the cars with the vertical shafts L, which are providedwith the levers M, having a ratchet-and-pawl engagement therewith. N arechains connecting the shaft L with the bell-crank lever O upon thevertical shaft P at the front edge of the vestibule. These bell-cranklevers are arranged opposite the spring-hooks t. It is evident that uponWinding the chain K upon the shaft L the bell-crank lever is rocked andwill disengage the hooks of one vestibule from the apertures of theother, and this will be performed in uncoupling the cars.

What I claim as my invention is-- 1. In a railway-car, the combination,with the platform, of a horizontally-oscillating vestibule-section and asliding connection between the car and vestibule, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a railway-car, the combination, with the platform, of ahorizontally-oscillatin g vestibule-section having its sides and roofoverlapping the end of the car and having a sliding engagementtherewith, substantially as described,

3. In a railway-car, the combination, with the platform, of a rigidvestibnle-section pivoted thereon and a sliding connection between thecar and vestibule, substantially as described.

li. In a railway-car, the combination, with the platform and anoscillating section thereon, of a guide-plate hinged to the sides ofsaid vestibule and guide-bearings in the car with which said platesengage, substantially as described.

5. In a railway-car, the combination, with the platform, of theoscillating vestibule-section thereon, guide-plates at the sides of thevestibule, a hinge-joint in said plates, and a sliding connectionbetween the vestibulesection and said plates, substantially asdescribed. v

6. In a railway-car, the combination, with the platform, of theoscillating vestibule-section thereon, the guide-plates engaging inbearings in the end of the car andv hinged in said plates, and thesliding connection between the plates and the vestibulesection,substantially as described.

7. Ina railway-car, the combination, with the platform, of thevestibule-section havinga horizontal and vertical oscillation, theguideplates engaging in guide-bearings in the car, a hinge in saidplates, and a socket in the vestibule adapted to slidingly engage withsaid plates and arranged to permit the oscillation of said socket on theplates, substantially as described.

8. In a railway-car, the combination, with IOC IIO

IZO

the vestibule, of the guide-plates z', the crossheads lo, the pins n,guide-grooves o, sockets l, and pins m, substantially as described.

9. In a vestibule-car, the combination, with the vestibule-sectionextending from side to side of the car, of extensible steps secured tosaid vestibule, substantially as described.

10. In a railway-car, the combination, with the vestibule-sectionextending from side to side of the car, of steps secured to saidvestibule-section and means for raising and loW- ering said steps,substantially as described.

l1. In a railway-car, the combination, with the vestibule-sectionextending from side to side of the car, of steps secured to saidvestibule-section by means of rods forming the steps supporting arailing, and means for raising and lowering said rod to fold the stepsbeside the vestibule-section, substantially as described.

l2. In a railway-car, the combination, with the vestibulesection, ofsteps secured thereto and adapted to be folded up across the doorthereof, substantially as described.

13. In a railway-car, the combination, with a rigid vestibule-sectionsupported upon the platform, of an extension of the roof of saidvestibule slidingly engaging with the roof of the car, substantially asdescribed.

I4. In a vestibule-car, the combination., with the vestibule-sectionsupported upon the platform, of an extension of the roof overlapping theroof of the car and a saddle upon which this extension is supported,substantially as described.

I5. Ina railway-car, the combination, With the platform, ofavestibule-section supported thereon, an extension of the roofoverlapping the roof of the car, and an oscillating saddle upon whichsaid extension slidingly engages, substantially as described.

16. In a railway-car, the combination, With a pivotal vestibule-section,of the springs D, applied to opposite sides thereof, substantially asand for the purposes described.

1'7. In a railway-car, the combination, with the vestibule-section, ofthe buffer-plates at the front side thereof, the hooks t, correspondin gapertures in which said hooks engage, the bell-crank levers O, and meansfor rocking said bell-crank levers to disengage said hooks.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

JOHN Kani-mint.

Witnesses:

M. B. ODOGHERTY, N. L. LINDOP.

